Promiscuities: The Secret Struggle for Womanhood Paperback - 1998

First line

Once upon a time, a scattered group of girls undertook the passage from girlhood to womanhood in a city built around a bay.

From the jacket flap

In this provocative and highly personal book, bestselling author Naomi Wolf explores a subject that has long been taboo in our society: women's sexual coming-of-age. Promiscuities brazenly exposes the truths behind the conflicting messages directed at young women during and after the sexual revolution. Drawing on surprising examples from the ancient and recent past, along with vivid recollections of her own youth, Wolf shows how our "liberated" culture still fears and distorts female passion. She also shares fascinating true stories that illustrate the fantasies and sometimes crippling realities women pass through on their way toward erotic and emotional discovery. A landmark book, Promiscuities is a call to women of all ages to reclaim and celebrate their sexuality.

Media reviews

"At last, a new generation of women writers is addressing the powerful issues of female sexuality. I gulped this wonderful book down in one sitting, like a novel. Brava Naomi Wolf for your courage, your intelligence, your lucid prose." - Erica Jong

"Refreshing ... highly evocative ... Wolf does two important things very well: reminding readers her own age what it felt like to be a teenage girl, and providing a crash course on the wildly varying cultural meanings attached to female sexuality throughout history." - The Ottawa Citizen

"Naomi Wolf [is] the best writer about women and sexuality that we have." - Toronto Sun

"Fascinating ... Wolf celebrates the ancient concept, heavily suppressed in the 20th century, that women are the more carnal sex." - Vancouver Courier